Civil Society in Ancient Greece

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Civil Society in Ancient Greece: The Case of Athens by Roderick T. Long Author’s note: This article is a follow-up to my earlier article "The Athenian Constitution: Government by Jury and Referendum" and should be read in conjunction with it. Some writers have so confounded government with society, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one .... -- Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776) Great part of that order which reigns among mankind is not the effect of government. It has its origins in the principles of society and the natural constitution of man. It existed prior to government, and would exist if the formality of government was abolished. the mutual dependence and reciprocal interest which man has upon man, and all the parts of a civilized community upon each other, create that great chain of connection which holds it together. ... In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government. -- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man (1791-92) Did the Greeks Have Civil Society? Thomas Paine's distinction between government and society is fundamental to the liberal tradition -- as is his preference for assigning a narrow scope to the former and a wide scope to the latter. In recent years, the term "civil society" has come to be applied to the vast array of voluntary, spontaneously evolved institutions
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